Instant messaging (also known as “IM”) is becoming a popular form of online communication. Several IM client applications are currently available. Examples of IM clients include AOL INSTANT MESSENGER (“AIM”), YAHOO MESSENGER, MSN MESSENGER, ICQ, GRIM, and TRILLIAN. Through IM, a user can communicate, in real time, with other users that are in her list of IM contacts.
One issue with IM clients is that a user may have many more contacts than that can be displayed in an IM client window. Generally, if the number of total contacts is more than that can be displayed in an IM client window, the IM client window may display a subset of the contacts and have the user scroll in the window to find contacts that are not in view. Some IM clients allow a user to configure which contacts are to be displayed, such as contacts that are online or contacts in particular groups or folders. Some IM clients can also be configured to move to the top of a user contact list the user who last sent a message to the user.
These methods of displaying a user's contacts have drawbacks. Managing groups of contacts can be cumbersome. Even if an IM client is configured to display only online contacts or contacts in particular groups, if the user has many contacts, the user may still be forced to scroll in the window to find contacts that are not displayed. Furthermore, the contacts displayed may not be the contacts in which a user is interested.
Accordingly, it is highly desirable to provide a more user-friendly method of presenting contacts in an IM client window.